Ukraine's French-trained brigade rocked by scandal

Artillerymen of the 155th Separate Mechanized Brigade of Ukrainian Armed Forces prepare to fire a French-made Caesar self-propelled howitzer toward Russian positions in the Donetsk Region on January 6, 2025. [AFP]

With its soldiers trained in France and high-profile endorsements from the French and Ukrainian presidents, the "Anne of Kyiv" brigade was supposed to be a flagship unit for Ukraine's army.

But just months after being created, it finds itself fighting two enemies -- Russians across the battlefield and an internal scandal that has shocked the Ukrainian military establishment.